Experience tastes from around the world without leaving the comfort of your own backyard at Brooklyn’s best ethnic eateries. From tacos served in an operating tortilla factory to old-school Polish plates to avocado toast (you read that right), these are the top spots to enjoy ethnic eats in Brooklyn, New York.
A taste of Turkey is at your fingertips in Sunset Park, where Turkish café Köfte Piyaz provides a welcome reprieve from the area’s Chinese and Latin eateries. Enjoy down-to-earth dishes such as Turkish lentil soup, salads, and beef meatball sandwiches served on Turkish bread. Tip: don’t miss the café’s selection of Turkish drinks, including Turkish coffee, apple tea, and a traditional sour cherry beverage.
What could bring the Michelin Guide all the way to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn? Only Tanoreen, whose Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fusion fare has attracted eyes—and stomachs—from around the city. Sample Tanoreen’s meaty lamb-stuffed grape leaves, hot harissa dried Armenian sausage, and tahini-smothered fried snapper to taste what the fuss is about.
Dishing out Venezuelan eats and Latin-leaning drinks, Caracas Arepa Bar serves up a taste of summer all year round. At the Williamsburg outpost of this beloved East Village eatery, arepas come stuffed with everything from shredded pork and thick-cut cheese to avocado with sweet plantains. Rounding out the menu are tequeños, tostones with shredded cheese, and Caracas’ spicy secret sauce.
At first glance, avocado toast may not strike you as an example of ethnic food. Yet every dish must originate somewhere (yes, even Insta-famous fare), and in the case of the internet’s favorite brekkie, that birthplace is Australia. Greenpoint’s hungry hipsters love Five Leaves for its Aussie-inspired eats, such as sage scrambled egg sandwiches, lamb shepherds pie, brekkie boards, and, of course, avocado toast.
Contrary to what you may believe, you don’t have to schlep to Queens or Manhattan’s “Curry Hill” to enjoy authentic Indian in the city. Find all of your favorite dishes at Joy Indian Restaurant in Prospect Heights, where Vindaloo curry, spinach naan, and bread stuffed with spiced minced fish await your appetite.
For 18 years, Ghenet Brooklyn has been the local’s pick for Ethiopian eats in New York City. Here, injera, a roti-like Ethiopian bread, is made fresh daily (and in gluten-free and vegan varieties) as the perfect accompaniment to Ethiopian steak tartare, wine-marinated lamb morsels, berbere-coated homemade cheese, and just about everything else on the menu.
Where can you expect to find fresher Mexican fare than at an operating tortilla factory? Such was the thought behind Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, a Bushwick-based eatery serving up dinner and a show. Watch fresh tortillas being made as you sample the factory’s finished product, which comes loaded with salted beef, chicken, and vegetarian fillings.
Cooking up “proudly inauthentic recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn,” Asian-American eatery Talde tastes like the future of global cuisine. Here, cosmopolitan patrons can enjoy their fill of yuzu guacamole, pretzel pork dumplings with spicy mustard, breakfast ramen with buttered toast broth and honey bacon, and much more.
Affectionately known as “Little Poland,” Greenpoint has long been the local’s go-to spot for Eastern European cuisine. Next time a craving for kielbasa strikes, choose Karczma for authentic Polish plates of peasant-style lard, potato pancakes, pierogies, and mixed meat platters.
